BTS’ Jin causes upset in Japan with ‘East Sea’ reference in new song Super Tuna
- Internet users in Japan voice their anger at K-pop singer’s use of a Korean term for waters referred to internationally as the Sea of Japan
- Some Korean internet users say Jin may have used the term to make the lyric rhyme; others hail its use as an opportunity to promote Koreans’ name for the sea
By Lee Hyo-jin
A new song released by Jin of K-pop super band BTS has drawn protests from some Japanese internet users over the use of the words “East Sea” in its lyrics, referring to the waters between Korea and Japan.
The two countries have long been at odds over the issue of the sea’s name, with Korea using “East Sea” for the body of water, while Japan has been calling it “Sea of Japan”.
Jin released his self-written song Super Tuna with a special music video through BTS’ official YouTube channel on December 4 to celebrate his 29th birthday.
The catchy song with lighthearted choreography immediately gained huge popularity on social media.
The video has had over 26 million views and has been on the list of the top 10 trending videos on YouTube for over a week, as of Monday. The hashtags #SuperTuna and #SuperTunachallenge on short-video platform Tiktok have accumulated over 140 million and 48 million posts, respectively.
“It is extremely disappointing that Jin dropped a song using the words East Sea, instead of Sea of Japan, the one and only name recognised internationally,” a Japanese Twitter user wrote.
Another said: “If the lyrics have been confirmed by Hybe (BTS’ agency), it means that the company is taking Japan lightly. We should strongly protest the company to modify the lyrics.”
This incident shows their fear over the global influence of BTS
On the other hand, Korean internet users argued that it shouldn’t be an issue for Jin, a Korean national, to call the waters “East Sea”. Some said the artist simply used the word because “East Sea” rhymes with “West Sea”.
“But whatever his intention was, Jin is promoting the name East Sea globally, and we should thank him for that,” a Korean internet user wrote in a comment to a news article on Naver.
Hybe has not given any official statement about this issue.
